


Friends and Lovers (and something in-between)

by Morgane (smilla840)



Category: CSI: NY
Genre: M/M, Multi, Polyamory that doesn't happen, The good of the lab, Written during season 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-03
Updated: 2012-11-03
Packaged: 2017-11-17 16:23:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/553541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smilla840/pseuds/Morgane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Flack comes up with a plan to get back at Mac. Unsurprisingly, it backfires. (set during season 3)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friends and Lovers (and something in-between)

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this during season 3 and it deals mostly with 3x08, 3x10, 3x11 & 3x16 - ie. back when Mac was obsessed with the good of the lab, Danny had self-esteem issues and Don was pissed at Mac. That means their behaviour is going to be OOC compared to current seasons, given how the characters have evolved.
> 
> Originally posted at my livejournal.

Working a case with Mac, so soon after the Truby debacle, wasn’t as easy as it had seemed beforehand. Flack tried for nonchalance, but he knew he came across as barely civil at the best of times.

Danny must have felt it because he had been trying to run interference all day long, and had Flack been less bitter he probably would have appreciated Danny's efforts. It had to be awkward, after all. He remembered back then, when it had been Mac and Danny going at it, and _he_ had been the one trying to make things work. Not easy.

But he was too angry to care about Danny’s efforts right now. All that mattered was that Mac just didn’t _get_ it. All he saw was another murderer slash drug dealer being put away. 

Things weren’t always that simple, though. God knew they weren’t this time. Since Truby had been put in jail, already two judgments of cases he had worked on had been overturned, and that hurt more than his own colleagues’ distrust.

And he wanted to get back at Mac. Some part of him had even hoped that the kid was their killer, just to prove Mac wrong. But, as usual, Mac fucking Taylor had been right, and Don was left with nothing but the mutterings and glares at the precinct.

Danny had tried to talk to him. Tried to make him feel better – in a very Danny way – but Flack hadn’t been in the mood and Danny had never been the most patient guy either. So they had ended up yelling at each other in the middle of the lab.

It was Mac, once again, who had separated them when it looked like things might get physical. The flash of anger in his eyes when he had told Flack – ordered him was more like it – not to take it out on Danny (‘keep your hands off him!’) had only exacerbated Flack’s anger – and given him all the ammunition he needed.

He had growled at Mac to mind his own business and stalked out of the lab, angry at Mac, angry at Danny and angry at himself.

But he had found the perfect way to make Mac understand.

 

The next day, he showed up at the lab again. Mac’s eyes followed him suspiciously as Flack made his way towards Adam, asking him if he had seen Danny this morning, and Adam helpfully pointed him towards the locker room.

He knew Mac wouldn’t be able to stop himself and would follow, to make sure everything was alright between the two of them. Flack shook his head briefly. Mac had never understood the way his friendship with Danny worked. Sure, they yelled at each other when their legendary tempers got the better of them. But it never lasted and they never had to apologize – not in so many words, in any case. 

They understood each other.

As predicted, he found Danny hanging his coat in his locker and flashed him a quick smile.

“So you’re not going to yell at me today?” Danny smirked, shutting the door shut and turning to look fully at Flack.

“Nah, not today,” Don said and Danny laughed, shaking his head.

“Got to go to work. Mac’s waiting.”

And that would have been enough to fuel Flack’s anger again but he kept a tight lid on it – he had to go according to plan here. A quick glance towards the door confirmed that Mac was indeed waiting, except not the way Danny thought.

So Flack grabbed Danny’s arm when he made to move past him and pushed him back against his locker. Movement in the corner of his eyes told him Mac was getting ready to intervene and Danny’s startled “What’re you doing?” spurred Flack into action.

Closing the distance between them, he kissed Danny hard, giving him no choice but to go along with it. He saw Danny’s eyes widen and then flutter shut, a brief twinge of guilt at using Danny like this flaring inside him and only growing stronger when he felt Danny’s hands bury into his short hair, pulling him closer. This was getting out of hand, Don realized, but he couldn’t stop himself from pressing Danny harder into the cool surface of the locker.

Let Mac see this. He didn’t know if the other man wanted Danny for himself – he wondered, sometimes – or if he was just fond of his younger CSI, but what was sure was that Mac had a possessive streak when Danny was concerned. And maybe Flack hadn’t considered all the possibilities here – mainly that it seemed to piss him off as much as it pissed off Mac when Danny took the side that wasn’t their own. And that Danny was _his_ , damn it, had been for the past ten months or so – not that Flack was counting – since they had fucked that first time and decided they both liked it enough to keep doing it.

Except he didn’t really have any claim on Danny, did he? They were just two guys, buddies, helping each other out. They didn’t talk about it, and it was good, oh it was very good, but it wasn’t a regular thing either.

What had previously been a quick fuck with some stranger when he felt the urge had graduated to pizza and a game with Danny, and then the fucking. The first time… well they had both been drunk. Flack didn’t remember much of it, just that Danny wouldn’t stop babbling about one thing or another – he tended to when he was drunk, and it annoyed Don to no end – and Flack just wanted him to shut up because he was getting a headache. Kissing him and pushing him down on his knees had made perfect sense at the time. Afterwards, they had developed some sort of pattern – they’d meet up, fool around, and not mention it the next day. There could be days or weeks between two encounters, and Flack had liked it like that. 

Of course, he should have realized things wouldn’t stay easy for long. It was _Danny_ , and nothing with Danny was ever simple. And now he had gone and fallen in love with the man, without even realizing it.

Now, Flack was no stranger to being attracted to men. Being in love with one, on the other hand, was completely different. Especially when he knew for a fact Danny had his own crush on one Mac Taylor. And that made everything a whole lot more complicated.

 

But it was stupid to think about that now. He and Mac weren’t fighting over Danny, they were fighting over _that_ case and the way Mac had handled it. Or at least they had been, until Flack brought it to the next level.

The loud bang of the door made them both jump and Danny pushed away from him, flustered and a little out of breath. A quick glance around confirmed what Flack had already deduced. Mac had left. He had won.

“What was that about, man?”

Or had he?

Looking back at Danny, he wondered. Danny must have noticed his hesitation because he pushed a nervous hand through his hair, messing it up more than it already was, and shrugged.

“Never mind,” Danny muttered. “I’ve got to go.”

Don watched him go, unable to say anything to stop him. Because they didn’t do this at work, in fact they rarely kissed period, and Flack could see why Danny would be confused.

Man, had he screwed up this time.

\---

He had planned on taking Danny out for drinks that night to apologize. And maybe talk. But work being what it was, a couple of days had passed before he swung by the lab in hope to see Danny. He wasn’t anywhere in sight but Mac and Stella were. Mac shot him a dark look before storming back to his office and Stella offered him an apologetic smile.

“Don’t worry about it, he’s been like that since Tuesday.”

Flack nodded like it didn’t matter, though it did. Danny had probably taken the brunt of it too, and the guilt was back in full.

He was about to leave when Mac’s sharp voice brought him back.

“Flack. My office, now.”

Flack bristled – who did Mac think he was? – but complied anyway, a part of him curious as to how the conversation would go. The blinds of the office were closed and Flack braced himself.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Mac got up and stalked towards him, stopping only inches away. Brushing away the sharp thrill of… fear? anticipation? – he wasn’t sure – Flack stood his ground.

“I know you’re angry at me,” Mac said in a low, dangerous voice, “but you leave Danny out of it, you hear me?”

“Why should you care what I do with Danny?” Don asked provocatively and felt inordinately pleased when Mac’s face became unreadable.

“Danny is one of my people and he is _your friend_. I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but you need to stop. Or I won’t hesitate to file a complaint with your Captain.”

Flack couldn’t stop a smirk from breaking on his face – he had never been one to know when to stop. “Jealous, Mac? Well guess what, I had him first, and he loved it.”

Mac’s eyes narrowed and he began to move away but Flack wasn’t about to let him. 

“That’s what you want, isn’t it?” he went on, his voice dropping to a seductive whisper, “You want Danny. Want to push him again a wall and kiss him like you saw me do in the locker room? Want to fuck him, mark him so that everyone will know who he belongs to?”

Mac’s eyes closed briefly and when they opened again, they were full of heat and Flack knew he was right on target. 

“Come on, Mac. Be a man and admit it,” Flack taunted, his breath hot against Mac’s throat as he leaned closer.

It all happened so fast he wasn’t sure how exactly everything came to pass. Except that he found himself kissing Mac – Mac! – who quickly took control of the kiss and backed him against the wall, the blinds making a rustling sound as Flack’s weight crushed them. Fuck. How had that _happened_? But it was good, oh it was undeniably good, and Don would admit to being somewhat confused. Wasn’t he supposed to be in love with Danny?

If the kissing had happened so fast Flack couldn’t remember who had kissed who first, what happened next did so in slow motion.

There was a knock on Mac’s door and whoever was on the other side didn’t wait for an answer. And Danny came in, his nose buried into a file.

“Mac, I found…” His voice trailed off as he finally raised his eyes and took in the sight. And what a sight they must have been! Danny’s face lost all colour before flushing an angry red and he muttered what probably was an apology before turning on heel and hurriedly leaving the room.

“Shit,” Flack said, his head making a resonating thump as it hit the wall. He heard Mac echo the sentiment, and at any other time Flack would have found it ironic that they finally agreed on something.

Everything was so fucked.

\---

In a silent agreement, neither Flack nor Mac brought up what had happened between them, though Don caught Mac’s eyes on him at the weirdest times. It was only fair, he figured, since he was watching the older man just as closely. Their disagreement over Truby also seemed to vanish into thin air as more important matters intruded.

They had both tried to talk to Danny, who it seemed had turned avoiding them into an art form. Mac probably had more luck than Flack, he figured, considering that they worked together. But when he did see them together, things looked tense.

He didn’t even _know_ what to say to Danny and he doubted Mac knew either. On his part, it would probably go something like: _‘So Danny, listen. That time I kissed you, remember? Well, that was to get back at Mac. Sorry about that. But you know, all the fucking we’ve been doing? Well, turns out, I think I like you. As in **like** you. And you’re my best friend too so I don’t want to screw this up. Mac? What about him? Oh, **that** kiss? Well, you see… I was angry at him, and he was angry at me for kissing you – why? Well I guess he has a thing for you too – so we ended up kissing. I liked that too. What, I’m not making any sense? I know! _

And boy did he know. His mind wasn’t the best place to be at the moment. He was – maybe – probably – oh, alright, he was in love with Danny. Had been for some time. And now he found himself attracted to Mac. 

Wasn’t life swell?

\---

Unfortunately – or fortunately, depending on how he looked at it – he didn’t have that much time to dwell on the mess. Hawkes got himself arrested for a murder he obviously hadn’t committed – they were talking about Hawkes here! – and first Danny then Mac did their best to piss off his Captain. So he had to deal with Mac. That went alright, the older man actually listening to him for once – maybe he _should_ kiss him more often, a distracted part of his brain advised before he told it to shut it. Then he found out Shane Casey had set up a meeting with Danny, just like he had with Mac earlier that day.

No way in hell was he going to miss it.

And so he watched – or rather stared – when Danny took his shirt off and fidgeted when Mac put the mike on him. He figured it was alright though, since Mac was looking too – and taking his sweet time at that.

Then Mac pulled Danny aside, away from the crowd (and Flack) and talked to him quietly for a couple of minutes. Danny relaxed as the conversation went on and didn’t even flinch when Mac put a hand on his shoulder. In fact, he leaned in the touch, nodding here and there, and didn’t protest when Mac’s thumb brushed against his neck distractedly. 

The touch could have been unintentional – it was probably how it had looked if anyone else had been watching – but Flack knew better and he was jealous.

Except he didn’t know of whom he was jealous any longer.

So he found himself glaring at Mac once again, falling back on old habits with a muttered _“I can’t believe you’re letting him go in alone”_ that would have had Danny kicking his ass had he heard. Mac just smiled briefly, a knowing look crossing his face.

Flack decided he hated that look too.

Tense minutes passed as they drove to the site, closely behind Danny – who kept muttering to himself inaudible admonitions Flack was glad he couldn’t quite catch –, to keep the illusion he was alone. Then Danny was going in, with a last glance in their general direction.

And there was nothing they could do but wait. Wait and listen to Danny’s voice echoing in their ears as he tried to convince Casey to give himself up. Don kept waiting for a gunshot that never came and he saw the same apprehension in Mac’s eyes, though he hid it better. Without thinking, he moved closer to him, and then pretended there was nothing out of the ordinary with his action.

They both knew better.

\---

It was a relief to hear Danny handcuff Casey and to meet him at the door. Danny handed him over to SWAT and remained standing in that room, looking a little lost. Flack could only guess that talking about his brother had hit him hard. So he gave him time and saw Mac nod from the other side of the door. The three of them just stood there until it felt like Danny was never going to snap out his thoughts and Flack took a step in his direction. The sudden movement seemed to rouse him and he blinked at them both, the dim light in the room making it hard to read his expression.

“Come on, time to get you back to the lab. I’m sure Mac has lots of reports waiting for him,” Flack offered and, to his relief, Danny nodded and headed outside.

The two men followed and stopped next to Danny’s car. Then they could only watch him drive away.

Finally fed up with the whole situation – which he didn’t understand in the first place, and that certainly didn’t improve his mood; come to think of it, the fact that he couldn’t run it by Danny to get _his_ opinion wasn’t helping either – Flack rounded on Mac.

“You and me gotta talk, Taylor.”

Because clearly Mac was never going to take that step, and it was up to him to do so. 

Mac was silent, weighting his answer and Flack wanted to shake him. _That_ was exactly what made him so mad with Mac. Did everything have to be thought over twice?

“Look, you can bury your head in the sand all you want, it’s not going to go away. So you and me, tonight after shift, your place. Be there.”

Now, Mac seemed ready to object and Flack sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Look, for Danny okay? This can’t go on.”

That at least got him a sharp nod and Flack nodded back, before heading towards the patrol car. He would ride back with Casey. Better not tempt fate and ride with Mac – he had enough on his plate right now.

\---

Sure enough, the evening came way too fast, and Flack found himself in front of Mac’s door, wondering yet again what he was doing. But Flack was no coward, and so he knocked.

For a brief moment, he thought maybe Mac wasn’t there. That he’d used Hawkes being released as an excuse. But the door opened and Mac was standing there. The two men eyed each other carefully before Mac gestured Don in, looking less than eager.

“So what are we going to do?” Don asked, figuring he might as well start.

Mac, unfortunately, didn’t get the hint.

“What do you mean?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at Don.

“About Danny. And about…” Don almost said ‘us’ but decided he wasn’t brave enough and veered for: “… what happened in your office.”

“We’re going to pretend it never happened,” Mac answered coolly, staring straight at him, in his _‘my mind is made up and nothing you will say can change that’_ way.

“What, that’s it?”

“What did you expect? I have to think about the reputation of the lab and…”

“And what? You can’t afford being involved with anyone?” Don glared.

“It’s not _anyone_ and you know it. And it’s not up for discussion. Whatever you had in mind, forget it,” Mac stated stubbornly.

“What about Danny, Mac?” Don asked, taking a step towards the other man and feeling a grim satisfaction at seeing him falter a little. “That thing between us may be nothing, but I know you care about him, a great deal more than you’d like people to believe. Somehow, that kid got under your skin and you can’t shake him off, can you?”

Mac took a step back, looking away from Don for a second, and when he turned back to face him his face was an emotionless mask and Don knew he had lost.

“You won’t even give it a shot?”

“Give what a shot?” Mac finally raised his voice. “You, me and Danny? Be realistic! How would that work? How _could_ it work? We’re police officers, for God’s sake!”

“We can be discreet!”

“It is not up for discussion.” Mac’s tone was final and just like that, the conversation was over. Don nodded, lips twisting in a bitter line. However, he couldn’t resist one last barb.

“Danny and I have been fucking for almost a year. You didn’t know that, did you? See, we can be discreet.”

With that, he closed the door behind him.

\---

All in all, he wasn’t even surprised by Mac’s reaction. He hadn’t actually expected the man to declare his undying love and welcome him and Danny into his home – and bed. But he had hoped for less finality in his answer. 

For himself, even admitting that what he felt for Danny was more than some stress relief between friends had been scary enough. And don’t let him start about adding Mac to the picture. But Flack was a pragmatic kind of guy, and if that relationship was the best for all involved, well he thought they should just go for it. 

But clearly that wasn’t going to happen yet. However, Don fully intended on making things right with Danny, even if that included tying him up to a chair and forcing him to listen at gunpoint. There would probably be a lot of yelling but at least, that was a relationship he could salvage.

So he found himself heading for Danny’s apartment next. Why not try it now? He was on a roll.

\---

Getting Danny to open his door turned out to be a whole lot more difficult than with Mac. And damn, out of the three of them, he didn’t know who was the most pigheaded. Finally, after numerous threats ranging from getting the key from Danny’s super by flashing his badge to kicking the door down, Danny yanked his door opened.

“What do ya want?” he glared at him, and Flack decided to invite himself in. That wasn’t a conversation he was willing to have on Danny’s doorstep.

Pushing his way in, he ignored Danny’s protests and headed straight for the kitchen, grabbing a couple of beers out of the fridge. Shoving one into Danny’s hands – at least that way he would have to think before taking a shot at him – he took a big gulp out of his own before:

“We’ve got to talk.”

Danny put on his most mutinous face and raised his chin in challenge.

“About what?”

And Christ, sometimes Danny and Mac were so alike Flack wanted to bang his head against the nearest flat surface. No wonder… And speaking of which…

“IthinkIlikeyou,” he blurted out in a rush, figuring he might as well get that out of the way.

Danny blinked at him. “What did you just say?” 

Flack soldiered on valiantly, taking a couple of steps forward so that he was standing in Danny’s face.

“I. Like. You. Got it?”

Unfortunately, Danny clearly didn’t.

“What do ya mean, you like me?”

Flack threw his hands in the air in desperation.

“I mean, I’m in love with you, you idiot!”

Danny gaped at him like a fish out of the water, and Flack barked out a laugh, because damn that felt good. Closing the space between them, he kissed Danny soundly on the lips, getting his message firmly across. And for a split second, Danny responded and Flack allowed himself to think that maybe things would work out in the end. Until Danny pushed him away.

“Wait a minute,” Danny’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, “you say you’re in love with me, right?”

Flack nodded cautiously.

“So you kissing Mac, that was… what? Nerves?”

“Actually…” Flack started but soon changed his mind when Danny’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Look,” he backtracked quickly, “can we just talk about this –” he gestured to the two of them “- before talking about Mac?”

“What do you wanna talk about?” Danny said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well… do you… you know…” he trailed off, looking at Danny hopefully, who just looked back at him confused for a minute before his face cleared up.

“Sure I do… you know…” it was Danny’s turn to blush and stammer a little, and damn, Don wanted to kiss him again.

“And what about Mac?”

“What about him?” Danny asked defensively.

“You like him too, don’t ya?”

Danny shook his head stubbornly. “No I don’t.”

“Right,” Flack snorted.

“Oh, and what about _you_?” Danny retaliated. 

“Oh I do.”

Danny gawked at him, flabbergasted by the easy admission, and Flack did kiss him again this time. 

“But… but… How…”

“Look, I know it may sound crazy, but some people make it work.” Don knew. He had done _research_. “You like me and Mac, I like you and Mac, and Mac… well he definitely likes you.” And truth be told, Flack had no idea how Mac felt about him. Maybe that was why he had been so against the idea in the first place. What if, given the opportunity, he would have Danny, and Danny decided he’d rather be with Mac than with Flack, and and…

Danny seemed to sense his inner turmoil – and damn, where did that come from? He had been so proud of his idea just minutes ago – and punched his shoulder lightly.

“Hey. I’m not doing anything without you, man.”

Oh. Good. Maybe now he could get over his own private little freak-out. And fuck, he loved that man. And decided to show him. Don being Don and Danny being Danny, you can guess that didn’t include flowers.

Backing Danny against the wall, Don kissed him, pushing his hips against Danny’s and moaning when he felt an answering hardness against his own.

“Oh yeah,” he whispered as he shoved his hand to the front of Danny’s trousers before getting rid of them. “It gets you hot, doesn’t it? Thinking about the three of us together?”

Danny moaned helplessly, pushing his cock into Don’s hand.

“Remember the second time I fucked you? You said his name when you came. Was that what you were thinking about? Mac fucking you?”

Danny made an incoherent noise in answer but Don wanted more. Slowing down his hand, he toyed with him, rubbing himself sinuously against Danny’s hip. “Tell me what you’re thinking about,” he ordered, and Danny shuddered against him.

“Mac…”

“What’s he doing?”

“Sucking me off…” Danny’s breath hitched as he tried to get himself back under control but Flack wouldn’t let him. He sank to his knees “Like this?” he asked, before taking Danny’s cock into his mouth.

Danny cried out, his hands coming up reflexively to bury themselves into Don’s short hair. All too soon, Flack pulled away, his lips glistening before he wiped them off and Danny whimpered.

“Don…”

“What would I be doing?” Flack asked, getting back to his feet as he leaned closer, nipping playfully at Danny’s throat.

Danny swallowed convulsively, staring at him with wide eyes. 

“Fuck me.”

Don growled, spinning Danny around. The sound of his zipper echoed loudly among their panting and he shoved his trousers and underwear out of the way after retrieving what he needed from his pocket – let it be said he was always prepared. Coating his fingers with lube, he shoved two inside Danny’s body, the keening sound that escaped the other man all the answer he needed. He didn’t take long preparing him, and soon he was rolling a condom on and pushing inside Danny, and fuck that was good.

 

They both came embarrassingly fast after that, but Don figured they could be excused. He tried to catch his breath, leaning against Danny’s back before he pulled away, discarding the condom.

Danny groaned as he turned around, but his eyes were sparkling and Don couldn’t stop a smirk from forming on his face.

“We really got to talk to Mac,” Danny said with a yawn, and.. right. Flack knew he had forgotten something.

“I did, actually.”

“And?” Danny raised an eyebrow at him, clearly wondering why Mac wasn’t here with him then.

“He said it wasn’t a good idea.”

Danny stared at him in utter disbelief before he exploded.

“That stupid son of a bitch!” he yelled, throwing his forgotten beer bottle against the wall before he started pacing, almost tripping on his pants before he angrily pushed them off.

Flack thought maybe he should try to placate him, but he had to admit he was a little distracted by the way Danny’s naked cock bobbed up and down as he paced around the room.

“So what, he thinks we’re not good enough? Is that it? Or is it about his precious lab again?” Danny fumed. “Or maybe it’s just me. That’s it, ain’t it? I mean, he kissed _you_. Me, I’m too much of a screw-up and…”

“Wow, wow, wow. Slow down.” Flack stepped into Danny’s path, forcing him to stop. “Mac _loves_ you. But you know how he is.”

“Yeah,” Danny snorted. “That pigheaded stubborn bastard.”

“But hey, we’ll work on that. The two of us, together? He doesn’t stand a chance, okay?” Flack gloated and Danny snorted. “And ‘til then… we have each other, right?”

“Yeah, okay,” Danny answered softly before yawning again and Don decided they had had enough emotions for one day. Pulling Danny towards the bedroom, they finished undressing and collapsed on the bed. 

Mac would wait ‘til the morning.

\---

Flack had – somehow – convinced Danny not to barge into Mac’s office the next day to demand an explanation. Instead, he had persuaded him that best way to go about things was to lie low for a while. Lull Mac into a false sense of security, while making him as jealous as possible without outing them both to the entire police department. Flack had even mentioned enrolling Stella to help but Danny had turned a little green at the suggestion and Flack had dropped it for the time being.

A few weeks passed without any incident. Then it all went to hell when Danny found out about Mac and Peyton.

From what Flack heard, Mac really didn’t pull any punches on that one; showing up with Peyton at a crime scene and announcing to Danny like it was the most natural thing in the world that they were together.

Danny, needless to say, took it… well, not well. But he bottled it up, because hey, he had his pride, and they were trying to prove they could be discreet, right? Making a scene in public wouldn’t go a long way into convincing Mac of that. 

That being said, it didn’t prevent the explosion at the lab later on, once the case was solved and Danny had dragged Don to the locker room and proceeded to demand just exactly when he had been planning on telling him about Mac and Peyton. Because, of course, Danny would have had to ask Mac if Don knew. Thank you oh so much.

If Don hadn’t said anything, it was because he knew – or rather, he hoped he knew – what it was Mac was doing. Trying to prove a point. In Don’s opinion, it was a rather feeble attempt – had it been heart-felt, Mac wouldn’t have felt the need to flaunt his relationship to the two of them.

Worst thing was, Flack had known Danny wouldn’t be able to see it that way. He couldn’t. To him, it would just be another rejection, and so he had kept his mouth shut, hoping – rather foolishly – that Mac would ‘see the light’. But he hadn’t and Flack was starting to think that maybe he never would. Damn, didn’t Mac _see_ what he was doing to Danny?

Danny, who was still yelling.

“I mean, fuck, Don, ya should have seen him! He looked so damn pleased with himself! And he didn’t even have the guts to stick around! And you!! Why didn’t you _tell_ me? How stupid do you think I looked, huh? I swear to God, I -”

“Danny, stop!” Don finally yelled back. “Just… stop, okay?”

Danny let out a frustrated growl, punching the nearest wall before hissing in pain.

“Fuck, that hurts.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Don snorted, “here, show me.”

Danny sullenly raised his hand and Don sighed. “You sure did a number on yourself. Come on, we need to clean this.”

He pulled Danny towards one of the wash-stands and Danny let himself be led without further protest.

“What’s wrong with us?” Danny asked forlornly, staring at his blood going down the drain. “I mean, there’s got to be something wrong, right? Otherwise, he…”

“Hey!” Don interrupted sharply. “Don’t talk like that, okay? There is nothing wrong with either of us, you got that? Mac is just being his stubborn self, _he_ is the one missing out on a good thing.”

Danny didn’t look convinced at all and Don sighed. “Look, I’ve got to go back. I’m still working a case, and Mac is bringing the suspect in now. Can you get yourself home okay?”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll see you later?”

“Count on it.”

Don dropped a quick kiss on Danny’s lips, which seemed to improve his mood fractionally, and Don was glad.

Mac was really a fool.

\---

When Flack got home later that night, it was to an empty apartment. He sighed, thinking Danny had gone back to his own place after all to sulk, and took out his cell phone to call him.

Yanking his tie off, he dialled Danny’s number…

… only to hear the familiar ringing start off somewhere in the vicinity of the couch. A closer examination showed that Danny had indeed come home, as attested his badge and discarded cell phone. Where he was now, well that was anybody’s guess. Probably off to the grocery store, he decided after a quick tour of the apartment – the fridge had been growing more and more empty in the past couple of days.

And so he didn’t dwell on it. Except one hour later Danny still wasn’t back and Don was starting to worry – he was well-placed to know the dangers of the city. 

Another thirty minutes passed, and now Flack was going out of his mind. Where the fuck _was_ Danny? And why hadn’t that idiot taken his cell phone with him?

Maybe… Maybe he had gone to see Mac? He had been mad enough earlier, and it would just like Danny to go and confront the man. Hesitating only for a couple of seconds – if he was wrong, there would be hell to pay – he called Mac.

“Mac?” he said when the other man picked up, “have you seen Danny?”

There was a pause at the other end of the line. “I haven’t seen Danny since I left the lab, Flack.”

Okay, now Don was _really_ worried. Danny was missing and he had no idea where he could possibly be.

“Fuck. Okay, sorry to have bothered you.”

Because he could hang up, however, Mac’s voice called him back.

“What’s going on, Don? Where _is_ Danny?”

“I don’t know,” Don yelled, his frustration getting the better of him. “I got home and he wasn’t there, and I thought maybe he had just gone out but it’s been almost two hours and he left his cell phone here.”

“I’m on my way.”

The call disconnected before Don could ask what exactly Mac thought he could do that Don couldn’t, because since when did he _care_ , anyway? But Don wasn’t going to just stand here and wait for the cavalry to arrive. 

Calling dispatch, he made sure Danny hadn’t been brought to the hospital – or worse, the morgue. He hadn’t quite expected the relief that flooded him when the answer came back negative. Danny could take care of himself, right?

Now, he just had to find him.

He was in his way out of the door when Mac showed up on his front door, leaving Flack wondering just how many laws on speed limitation he had broken on his way over here.

“What are you doing here?” Flack asked pointedly, locking the door behind him.

“You said Danny was missing.”

“Since when do you care?”

Mac frowned and Flack raised a hand to forestall his protests.

“Look, I’ll handle it, okay? I probably overreacted anyway – he’s probably at a bar or something. So I’ll look for him. Besides, you’re probably the last person he wants to see right now. So just go home to Peyton and leave us alone.”

“That’s not fair, Don.”

“Oh, _that’s_ not fair? What about you, shoving it in his face? Danny doesn’t need that kind of shit and you know it.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know what you meant. You were too much of a coward to give this a try, so just forget it.”

Now, calling Mac a coward had never been a smart move. Before he could blink, Flack found himself shoved against a wall.

“It has nothing to do with cowardice,” Mac hissed. “I’m thinking about your careers…”

“You really don’t get it, do you?” Don shoved back, “It’s not up to you to make that kind of decision for us!”

Forcing himself to calm down, Don took a deep breath and thought of Danny.

“Look, I don’t have time for this. _I’m_ going to look for Danny. Just do whatever you want.”

Don turned left once they got on the street, leaving Mac to go right – or home, whatever. And now that he had cooled down enough, he had a pretty good idea where to look.

One block away from his apartment, there was this bar they went to sometimes and sure enough, there was Danny, well on his way to getting shit-faced. And if Don wasn’t so relieved to find him, he would probably tear him a new one. Come to think of it…

“Where the fuck have you been!” he hissed angrily.

Danny just blinked at him and Don sighed. The yelling would have to wait ‘til the next day.

“Come on, I’m getting you home,” he said, pulling Danny to his feet and stopping him from falling on his face as he swayed dangerously. 

And because deep down, Flack was a good guy, he took out his phone. 

“Yeah, Mac? I’ve got him.”

He half-dragged, half-carried his missing lover back to his apartment while Danny mumbled indistinctly on and on about… was that baseball? They met up with Mac in front of his building and Danny stopped talking when he caught sight of his boss, staring at him owlishly, while Flack braced himself for… something which never happened.

“Mac!” Danny slurred happily, “You’re here!”

He tried to take a step forward on his own when Flack loosened his hold to fish out his keys – grave mistake – and flailed dangerously, pitching forward. Don was all for letting him fall at this point – hey, it was _late_ , and he had spent the last couple of hours worrying to death, and the discovery that he was such a softie was hard on his pride. He could be excused. But Mac, knight in shining armour that he was, had to save Danny from ending sprawled on the floor.

“Oops…” Danny giggled, sounding like a ten-year-old girl. Don sighed and yanked him inside, grudgingly holding the door opened for Mac, who had a familiar mix of fond amusement and faint annoyance etched on his face.

“What happened to his hand?” Mac asked as they pushed him into the elevator.

Don looked down – oh, right. He had forgotten about that.

“Let’s just say… the wall is still standing.” 

They manhandled Danny back into the apartment and into bed, interrupting a – no doubt fascinating – one-sided conversation on rtPCR, leaving Danny staring groggily at the two of them.

“You’re both here,” he mumbled again, a touch of wonder in his voice before his eyes fluttered shut and he started snoring.

Don pinched the bridge of his nose. It was late, Danny would be in a piss-poor mood tomorrow, which would make their day off suck, and he was left to deal with Mac on his own. Again.

“You should go,” he told the other man, who looked torn. Well, good for him.

“Is he going to be okay?” Mac asked quietly as they left the room.

“I don’t know, Mac. What do you think?” Don said tiredly.

“I just…”

“I know, but now is not the time, okay? You’ll talk to him tomorrow or you won’t, but stop doing this to him.”

Mac nodded sadly and left, and Don was left wondering if he and Danny would ever get that talk or if it would just be another thing between them – they were piling up as it was.

 

Don went back to the bedroom, undressing and doing the same for Danny, who murmured a soft word of protest, before manoeuvring them under the covers. Despite his black mood, a smile broke free when Danny snuggled close – the man did cuddle, despite his loud protests – and he wrapped a loose arm around his lover’s shoulder.

They would be fine, the two of them. They would be enough. They didn’t need Mac, right? Maybe some day, the man would change his mind. Until then… well, they would love each other and be happy. What else was there to do?


End file.
